List Name

Grades

Tuzigoot National Monument

Grades

6–8,
9–12

From

Tuzigoot National Monument, in the Verde Valley of central Arizona, was established in 1939. The 324-ha (801-acre) monument protects the partially restored hilltop ruins of a village of 14th-century Anasazi who farmed the rich valley bottom, growing corn, squash, pumpkins, and beans. In the visitor center a museum displays a large assortment of the artifacts unearthed at the site during excavations in 1933-34, including decorated pottery of different shapes and sizes, small clay figures, and jewelry of turquoise and shell beads. The pueblo, two stories high at the summit citadel, extended along the crest of a long ridge of limestone and contained more than 100 rooms, providing housing for as many as 400 people. Access to the rooms was by ladders propped against the outside walls, and a large plaza was incorporated into the overall plan. The name Tuzigoot is not from the language of the ancient inhabitants: it is an Apache word meaning "crooked water," in reference to the winding channel of the Verde River.